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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. swing — in golf
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — to play on
  12. race — a contest
  13. stem — to come from
  14. race — humankind
  15. pass — a permit
  16. swing — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. kick — in football
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com